Time Running Out for Georgia Farmers

The economy has been tough for everyone, including farmer Jeff Braswell.

"We're looking for every cut we can get nowadays," he said.

Now he's got some help thanks to the Georgia Agriculture Tax Exemption (GATE). It offers a sales tax exemption on farm equipment and production inputs. Extension agents want farmers to take advantage of it.

"We are on a strict timeline because we want to get it done by the first of the year," Seminole County Extension Agent Rome Ethredge said.

He says that's because the first of the year is when the exemption starts. Farmers must apply now to qualify.

"If they don't have that on January 1st, they don't get that tax exemption so it's very important that farmers do this now," Ethredge said.

Braswell already has his exemption and says it takes some weight off his shoulders, and his wallet.

"This GATE tax exemption seems to be a great idea to decrease the cost of some of those inputs and save every penny we can save," he said. "It's pretty much a no-brainer."

He says it should be a no-brainer for other farmers, too.

"This is something anybody's been looking to save should go in on," he said.

If they do go in, it could be a big help in this economy

"We're talking about trying to make a profit here and the cost of that continues to increase. So every little that we can save. We're looking for anything we can get," Braswell said.

As of now, it's still unclear what farm equipment and production inputs are exempt. It's up to the Georgia Department of Revenue, and they should announce the exemptions around December 20.

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